


Bughead Bites (in all the right ways)

by SunlitGarden



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 04:02:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21173099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunlitGarden/pseuds/SunlitGarden
Summary: Collection of Bughead tumblr prompts - starting with RoboCop-esque Jughead





	Bughead Bites (in all the right ways)

**Author's Note:**

> First prompt fill for multixfanxuwu: "I’m not completely human anymore. Remember that, next time you go to punch me in the face.” - Bughead  
Thanks to @bugggghead for looking this over for me! ^-^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty rebuilds Jughead after a fight with Malachai. Cyborg boyfriends are epic investigators and Jughead makes sure she knows he'll always come back for her.

Betty waits with bated breath as Jughead’s body rumbles to life. “Yes, yes!” She squeezes his stiff hand in excitement, barely sparing Dr. Curdle a glance, because Jughead is coming _back_.

They’d salvaged his puffy, bleeding lips - most of him was intact.

“Juggie…” Brushing his hair behind his ear, Betty sits beside his body, ready for his eyes to flutter open. Instead, he rockets to alertness and grabs the nearest sharp object. Dr. Curdle gasps and moves to the far end of the room as Betty tries to straddle her boyfriend’s legs so all he can see is her.

“Juggie, it’s alright! It’s me. It’s Betty.”

“Betty?” His eyes swim in and out of focus, seeming to process.

The grateful tears welling up make her voice wobble. “Welcome back, Jug.”

With that, the knife clatters to the floor and he crushes her into a hug. Her spine cracks and pops from the force of his love. “Wh–are you alright?”

“You’re back. Of course I’m alright.” She giggles hysterically, wiping her wet cheeks and kissing his swollen, juicy lips until she needs to breathe. There’s still this _warmth _radiating from him, despite the cold steel plating his bones. “Oh, Jug. We’ve been to hell and back again.”

His hands settle on her hips and he seems more _himself_ when he says, “Tell me what I’ve missed.”

* * *

Archie is clearly uncomfortable grasping the concept, even though he’s read comics and watched Sci-Fi and horror flicks with Jughead throughout his entire life. “So does he need to eat brains and stuff?”

“No. Even Frankenstein didn’t want to eat flesh.”

Betty balks, frowning at their friend. The _idea_ of making him a cannibal is beyond comprehension. She’s too smart for that.

Lovingly scratching the back of her head, Jughead sifts through his expanded database (one of the perks of having a brain with a chip attached) to help him out. “Think of my transformation as something in the vein of RoboCop.”

“Oh.” Archie frowns, nodding seriously. “Or Wolverine with the steel plates?”

“Adamantium.” They all look at Veronica in surprise, who shrugs. “Hugh Jackman helped me memorize a few facts about _X-Men_.”

“You’re all a bunch of nerds,” he teases, enjoying the way the table laughs and relaxes. It’s easier to process people this way, even if he _is _hyper-aware of heartbeats and other details. Investigating will be a hell of a lot easier now that he can do background checks from his _brain_.

Scooting into his side, Betty lays her head on his shoulder and takes a deep breath. The surgery and recovery were hard on her. When he was under, he had fever dreams that they’ve pieced together may have been laced with reality of her working over and on him - having a mental breakdown every other time she had to stitch him back together. Curdle was the one who had to cut him apart. FP had to donate blood. It was a weird, horrible process for everyone, and he’s glad it’s over and done with.

It’s almost surreal that he’s alive enough to enjoy milkshakes with his friends.

Now he gets to spend the rest of his live(s) with Betty.

* * *

If Betty does have a heart attack tonight, right here in the backseat of the Jones’ truck, at least she knows Curdle and Jughead will probably know enough to bring her back from the dead. Still, it’s not a process she’s eager to take part in ever again.

“He can handle it.” FP squeezes her shoulder like she’s one of them - a Serpent with a thick coat of leather and muscle and nerves of steel.

As if he can sense her trepidation, Jughead looks back at her through the car window and touches his nose with a playful wink, a nod to their conspiracy-laden days.

A low groan works its way through her gut and she can’t tell if she wants to hold him because she’s nervous or because he’s so endearing - even in potentially dangerous situations.

Three sharp knocks rap louder than any fleshy knuckles could.

FP chuckles. Betty looks at him incredulously. Even though she and FP are safe in the truck, she doesn’t know why he’s so relaxed about his son going up to the men who nearly beat him to death.

“Sorry. It’s just weird watching this from the other side of the door.”

The Jones men are extraordinary, she thinks. They took a motorcycle gang and turned into a bounty hunting crew and even hired themselves out as security. Now, FP is Sheriff and Jughead is a potential Deputy.

_We all know the law pretty well by now_, FP would tease.

The door creaks open and Betty grips the handle.

Jughead’s wired frequency cackles on their radio before opening up the conversation.

“Hey, Mal. Long time, no–”

A fist flies out and crashes into Jughead’s cheek. Although Betty wants to burst out of the car and taser the heartless bastard who hurt her soulmate, Malachai buckles on his own, cursing and clutching his hand.

Jughead grins as he spins and cuffs the guy who assaulted him. “I’m not completely human anymore. Remember that, next time you go to punch me in the face.”

Relief floods her veins at the confidence in his voice.

After a quick walkthrough of the House of the Dead, they’ve collected the evidence they need to put the Ghoulies away. Better yet, Malachai’s hand is confirmed as broken.

She caresses Jughead’s cheek, still half-expecting a bruise to emerge. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m surviving...because you’re here.” He takes her hand and kisses it before pulling her into a tight hug, warming her whole body. “Thank you for strengthening me. Seriously.” Jughead trails kisses down the side of her face before pulling back, his gaze heavy on her lips.

Heart squeezing with devotion, she blinks back tears. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

“Always, Betty.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi at @lovedinapastlife on tumblr!  
Comments and kudos much appreciated to keep creative juices flowing. Let's just love this pairing forever and eat lots of sweets, okay?


End file.
